Monique Secret Spa Part 1 -

“Your neck doesn’t hurt because of the deadline,” she said without looking at me. “It hurts because you’ve been nodding ‘yes’ when every bone in your body has been screaming ‘no.’”

She led me down a corridor so dark I had to place my hand on the cold stone wall to keep my balance. We stopped in front of a velvet curtain the color of dried blood. She parted it just enough for me to slip through. monique secret spa part 1

“Are you ready to go further?” she asked. “Because once I show you what’s behind that curtain, there is no ‘before Monique.’ Only ‘after.’” “Your neck doesn’t hurt because of the deadline,”

She leaned close, and I could smell rain on her skin, even though we were underground. She parted it just enough for me to slip through

Monique stood up, dried her hands on a black linen towel, and finally looked at me with something softer.

She gestured to a second velvet curtain on the far side of the room, this one the color of a deep bruise.

I sat.